Musty Jeans

Dear Home Ec 101,

For a few weeks I’ve occasionally noticed a musty smell. At first I thought it was something in my house, but I couldn’t ever pin it down. I finally realized it was my favorite pair of jeans! I think they sat too long in washer, but I’ve washed them several times since and they still smell. I’m not ready to part with these pants.

Signed,

~Little Suzy Stinky Pants

Heather says:

It sounds like you have a case of detergent build up. This sticky residue can trap all kinds of funky odors. This usually happens with heavier fabrics and more commonly in high efficiency washers. The easiest solution is prevention. Always use the least effective amount of laundry soap possible and add vinegar to the final rinse.

In your case, it’s a little too late for prevention. If you have a progammable washer use hot water, place vinegar in the prewash dispenser, borax powder in the main wash and add an extra rinse. If you have a standard washer, run with vinegar in the wash water, rinse, then use borax in the next wash cycle, and finish with a plain water rinse.

Dry your jeans thoroughly and you should now be stink free!

Send your domestic questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.

Linoleum Lament

Heather says:

Linoleum can be great and affordable flooring and cute if you are after retro look, not that we are biased or anything. However, it requires the same care as hardwood. Use doormats or throw rugs and sweep daily. The sand and grit that is tracked in on people’s shoes causes tiny nicks and scratches in your linoleum. These scratches are the perfect place for dirt to accumulate.

Don’t use bleach or products containing bleach to clean linoleum. The high pH can actually damage the flooring. For regular cleaning damp mop with, drum roll please, diluted vinegar.  However, it sounds like you have a buildup on your flooring that may need several steps to remedy. Not to worry, if you do this once you won’t need to repeat the process for 12 - 18 months. 

First, carefully sweep your floor. Then mop with a very dilute solution of hot water and detergent (I like original Dawn dish detergent, but it’s up to you). The detergent will help get the dirt out of those crevices. Next mop the floor a second time, but switch to diluted vinegar, this will remove any detergent residue. Finally Armstrong, a leading linoleum manufacturer, recommends using an acrylic floor polish. The polish will help fill some of those nicks and scratches that are the source of your dirty socks. It’s very important to have very clean floors before using the polish or you will simply be sealing the dirt to your floor.

Good luck!

Submit your domestic questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.

Basic Cheese Sauce

Dear Home Ec 101,

My three year old son is allergic to eggs and I’m trying to find a cheese sauce for vegetables that is simple, but not greasy.
Can you help?

Signed,
Cheesin’ in Chester
Heather says,

Most of us who grew up in the 1980s can probably sing the jingle for Velveeta, “Cheddar’s greasy, cheddar’s oily.” I am not sure why I’m encouraging y’all to sing as I am not recommending Velveeta. That stuff is spendy and fake, a mortal culinary sin in the Handbook of Heather.

A little flour, butter, milk, and cheddar make a great kid friendly cheese sauce for vegetables. Ready? Good.

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Stuck on You

Dear Home Ec 101:

I recently made fabulous folders with pretty paper and also a great magnetic memo board with fabric on a silver tray all thanks to decoupage. But I’m a bit of a mess and the decopage is all over my favorite yoga pants and a cute t-shirt. How can I get it out?

 Signed,

Decorative Decoupage Disaster

Heather says:

Luckily for you decoupage glues, like Mod Podge are fairly easy to remove. Scrape off as much as you can, then work plain petroleum jelly into the stain.  Remove the petroleum jelly with dishwashing liquid. I prefer Dawn (don’t get fancy, the original unscented formula is the best for situations like this). Use the hottest water tolerated by the fabric to rinse it clean.

Do not dry the articles of clothing until all traces of the stain have been removed.

Good luck!

Submit your domestic questions to: helpme@home-ec101.com.

Have you seen this week’s Festival of Frugality hosted by MyTwoDollars?

Back to Basics: Freezing Bell Peppers

Dear Home Ec 101,

My neighbor is a gardening whiz and brought over a ton of sweet bell peppers. I don’t want any to go to waste, but there is no way we can eat them all. Can you freeze bell peppers?

Signed,

~Peter Piper

Gratuitous Pretty Pepper Pic

Heather says:

Not only can you freeze bell peppers, but it takes very little effort. Frozen bell peppers are great additions to eggs, soups, stews, chili, stir fries, and of course we can’t forget sausage, peppers, and onions. I use this not only for when I mooch off of my gardening friends, but whenever I see peppers on the clearance shelf in the produce section.  

Get ready, because this won’t take long.

Slice or dice the bell peppers.
Scatter the peppers on the cookie sheet. Make sure there are no clumps or they will be hard to separate later.
Freeze.
Scoop into a freezer bag.
Remove as much air as possible and return to the freezer.
That’s it!

This method is often referred to as flash freezing. By freezing the peppers as separate pieces it is easy to take only what you need for a recipe in the future. You will be able to bring a little of summer’s bounty to your winter table.

Your bell peppers will retain their quality for eight months if they are stored at 0°F or below.

Send your domestic questions to helpme@home-ec101.com

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